Wage increasing 3.6 per cent on Oct. 1
Nova Scotia is raising its minimum wage 3.6 per cent on Oct. 1.
The rate will rise from $9.65 per hour to $10 per hour. The rate for inexperienced worker — those with less than three months experience in the work they were hired for — will rise from $9.15 to $9.50.
The last minimum wage increase in the province was in October 2010. After the last increase the Minimum Wage Committee met to make recommendations. Their report was released in March for public comment.
"The minimum wage rate is an important benchmark that must continue to reflect the current economic climate," said Marilyn More, Minister of Labour and Advanced Education. "We received over 40 separate responses on the report from a wide variety of organizations and individuals including those representing employees, employers, businesses, labour and advocacy groups. Each of these submissions presented a unique viewpoint that we carefully reviewed before making our decision.”
After the October increase, future increases will occur in April, starting in 2012. The minimum wage will be indexed to the low income cut off. It will be done based on the national estimated consumer price index from the previous calendar year, according to the Nova Scotia government.
"This increase is consistent with increases across the country and brings the rate back inline in terms of buying power with where it was in the mid 1970s."
Increasing the rate based on inflation will impact 50,000 Nova Scotians who make close to minimum wage, about 16 per cent of the workforce, according to the province.
The increase brings Nova Scotia in line with the other Atlantic provinces which have a minimum wage of $10 an hour or have announced plans to increase the minimum to that amount, according to the province.
